Durin was in an excellent mood as he flew toward the site of the battle.
He didn't actually need to intervene—just his name alone would be enough to intimidate the enemy.
Before long, he saw Duke Kafka leading a group of high-ranking officials, successfully encircling a large number of Shadewhite spies.
Oh? Not bad!
Durin's eyelids twitched in surprise. He hadn't expected his subordinates to be this efficient. They had managed to capture all the Shadewhite spies in one fell swoop.
Thinking this, he landed beside Duke Kafka.
Seeing him fly over suddenly, no one seemed particularly shocked.
After all, His Majesty the Emperor—a Demigod Rank powerhouse—being capable of flight was perfectly normal, wasn't it?
"You've done well!"
Durin casually praised them, only to be met with Duke Kafka bowing deeply in response.
Looking at Durin with reverence, Duke Kafka spoke:
"Everything was within Your Majesty's expectations. Thanks to Your Majesty's guidance, we were able to prepare in advance."
...What?
Hearing this, Durin was completely dumbfounded.
When had he ever given them guidance? Why was he unaware of such an important matter?
Hadn't he said absolutely nothing about any plan?
It was only now that he noticed the bound Shadewhite spies—among them, shockingly, was a duke!
What kind of joke was this?!
There were fewer than ten dukes in the entire Ilan Kingdom—they were among the highest of high-ranking officials.
Had someone this important within Ilan Kingdom actually turned traitor?
At that moment, the restrained duke stared at Durin with venomous hatred and spoke in a chilling tone:
"As expected of the Emperor. You must have seen through us long ago, only waiting for us to attempt escape before capturing us all in one move."
"Such tactics are truly admirable."
Despite his words, his eyes burned with unfiltered killing intent.
Duke Kafka, however, had no intention of indulging him. He stepped forward and kicked him hard in the rear.
"How dare you act out in front of His Majesty?!"
"But I must admit, you Shadewhite spies are quite skilled in concealment. If it weren't for His Majesty's warning, you might have actually gotten away this time."
At this, Duke Kafka's expression became even more smug.
"Previously, when His Majesty convened the Round Table meeting, he remained silent throughout. At the time, I was confused. But now, everything makes sense."
Durin blinked in confusion.
What do you mean "when I convened the Round Table meeting"?! It was clearly YOU, Duke Kafka, who convened it!
How is this suddenly being attributed to me?
Yet, it was clear that this detail had been unconsciously overlooked by Ilan Kingdom's officials.
After all, who would remember such a trivial matter?
All they remembered was that the highest-ranking figure present at the meeting was His Majesty the Emperor.
Besides, if Duke Kafka had convened the meeting, wasn't that still equivalent to the Emperor's will?
Meanwhile, Duke Kafka continued his grand revelation:
"In truth, His Majesty had given us many hints. He clearly had a plan but refused to tell us, even saying that if we heard it, it might interfere with its execution."
"And what does that imply? It means there was a traitor among us."
At this, he paused, his cold gaze locking onto the treacherous duke.
"I knew it. His Majesty saw through the traitor from the very beginning. The reason he withheld information was to lull the traitor into a false sense of security."
"Think about it—those Stellar Rank Lv9 Shadewhite spies must have had a contact within our ranks. And that contact had to be hiding among us. When you analyze it this way, everything falls perfectly into place."
Standing to the side, Durin couldn't help but clap for Duke Kafka.
That was a brilliant deduction! So it turns out I had already figured out there was a traitor among us?!
As expected of me! I'm incredible!
…Heh.
On the other hand, the captured duke's face darkened even further.
"I have infiltrated Ilan Kingdom for centuries, and even the previous Emperor never suspected me. Yet after just one encounter with you, you managed to expose my identity."
"So you were secretly setting up an ambush all along?"
Durin figured it was about time to accept the credit.
But just as he was about to speak, Duke Kafka scoffed disdainfully at the traitor and sneered:
"With your intelligence, do you really think you can comprehend His Majesty's plan? Pathetic!"
Wait, what?
Even I don't know what my plan is—how do YOU know?!
Yet Duke Kafka, with unwavering confidence, declared:
"His Majesty's goal isn't just to capture you—it's to uproot your entire operation!"
"His Majesty suspects there are still more Shadewhite spies, so he gave me a secret mission."
...???
WHEN did I give you a mission?!
Durin was utterly bewildered. Over the past few days, all he had done was lounge in bed and occasionally hunt birds—he hadn't done anything else!
The other ministers in the hall exchanged puzzled glances.
Clearly, they were just as uninformed about this "secret mission" as Durin was.
But Duke Kafka, brimming with self-satisfaction, confidently explained:
"His Majesty is always dignified, but during the Round Table meeting, he occasionally sipped his coffee. At the time, I thought nothing of it, but in hindsight, something was off."
...???
Durin felt his soul leave his body.
I was just drinking more coffee because I was nervous! How is that being interpreted as a secret signal?!
Duke Kafka continued:
"Upon closer observation, I noticed something—every time His Majesty set down his coffee cup, the pattern faced me. But whenever he lifted it, he deliberately turned the pattern toward this traitor!"
"Such a subtle hint—only someone as intelligent as I, Kafka, could decipher it."
…You seriously figured that out?!
"Afterward, using His Majesty's brilliant strategy as guidance, I secretly observed the traitor and indeed discovered his treachery. I immediately began making preparations in secret. Since I told no one, there was no way for the information to leak."
The other ministers were utterly shocked by this revelation.
They never expected the Emperor to be so meticulously cunning!
Even such a classified operation had been kept under wraps until the very last moment.
Duke Kafka wore an expression of smug satisfaction.
"So even if there are more traitors among us, it is now far too late for them to warn their allies."
At this, everyone present felt a chill run down their spines.
As expected of the mighty Emperor—whoever dared to oppose him was doomed!
Durin struggled to maintain a neutral expression.
But after thinking it over, if his subordinates were so meticulously paranoid that they could derive an entire conspiracy theory from the way he drank coffee, maybe…
Maybe this wasn't that ridiculous after all.
The traitor duke, however, was unwilling to give up. He clenched his teeth and retorted:
"How could you be certain that Kafka understood your hint? And why would you trust him? You only just awoke from your slumber—there's no way you knew who was trustworthy!"
…Yeah.
How would I know that?
Durin was genuinely curious. He had never even thought about this.
But Kafka simply scoffed and smirked.
"With His Majesty's wisdom, he must have recognized my unwavering loyalty from the very start."
"I, Kafka, am the person who understands His Majesty better than anyone in this world!"
…
Durin had nothing to say.
His expression twisted as though he were suffering from severe constipation.
A nearby duke noticed and hesitantly asked:
"Your Majesty, you seem… unwell?"
Before Durin could even respond, another duke immediately rebuked him:
"Isn't it obvious?! There was a traitor among the dukes—how could His Majesty possibly be in a good mood?!"
Kafka waved his hand dismissively.
"I had originally planned to keep monitoring you for a while longer, but I never expected you, this fool, to try and escape with all your spies at once.
Did you really think you were being clever?"